Nothing brings Pakistan more negative publicity, particularly from the Western media, than cases of sectarian strife and interfaith mistrust that keep rearing their ugly heads in myriad ways. Earlier this month, it was the news of the 'exodus' of some Hindu families who had fled interior Sindh as they felt insecure and unprotected that went viral at home and abroad. Then there was this killing of some two dozen members of the Shia community as they were on way to their homes in the Northern Areas to celebrate Eid with their families. And now it is the detention of a Christian girl from the slums of the Capital on charge of blasphemy. And all this are not first-time happenings; Pakistan today is virtually a killing field of the undefended, be they members of rival religious sects or non-Muslims.
In the case of Christians, the Zia-vintage blasphemy law is a handy weapon, as is the case of 11-year-old Ramsha, who is accused of burning some pages containing texts from the Holy Quran. Some say she is a mentally challenged child and was not expected to be doing what she allegedly did. Some others say she is victim of a conspiracy hatched by local landowners to kick out the Christians from their shanties, given that the area adjacent to posh Islamabad sectors, has become quite expensive. And there are also some that say that all of it was a small issue between two neighbours, a Christian and a Muslim, and was about to be resolved when religious zealots entered the scene and whipped up frenzy against the members of the Christian community accusing them of committing blasphemy. As to what actually happened remains a mystery, even after more than a week.
Not that the local police is incapable of going behind the optics, or the doctors cannot judge how old the girl is and if she is normal. On the face of it, the truth in the matter is deliberately being concealed. If that is the case, we would mourn the helplessness of the concerned officials. Or, is it that challenging the religious fanatics is beyond the capacity of the police and its affiliates, who are tasked and fully empowered to ensure law and order in the country. If only these people had moved quickly and prevented things from coming to a boil. But many other sections of society, too, are responsible for incidents like this happening so regularly. One, the parliament owes it to the people of Pakistan to suitably amend the relevant parts of the blasphemy act and the Pakistan Penal Code to restore it to its pre-Zia pristine form which reflected interfaith harmony and made us a tolerant society. Two, the leaders representing various sects and faiths in the country have to take up the cudgels to fight for intra-faith and interfaith harmony. They must come forward and snatch back from the extremists and zealots their role as leaders of their respective faiths and sects. Unfortunately, this is not being done; they prefer words over actions, shrinking from their duty to guide the masses.
Interfaith harmony, peaceful coexistence and respect for others' faith are quintessentially part of every religion. If that's no more the case in Pakistan, then the blame for the abysmal failure lies at the door of the religious leaderships. If Ramsha's case has been blown out of proportion it is only because that local administration failed to come to grips with the reality on the ground. Consider, the man who is supposed to have blamed the girl for the blasphemy is missing from the scene, not that he is afraid of her people, but of the extremists who now hold the field. Ideally, the local administration should have moved post-haste, but that was not done. Now that the All-Pakistan Christian League has demanded a high court-level judicial commission, it should be done. Equal access to prompt justice is every Pakistani's equal right, and members of minorities are as rightful Pakistanis as any Muslim in this country. That a little girl rots in jail is understandable, given the bitter truth that the Islamabad police cannot protect her. What a pity.
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